Transparency measure gets preliminary OK

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SANTA ANA In a pair of votes that a coalition celebrated and city leaders called historic, the Santa Ana City Council approved a multi-pronged “Sunshine Ordinance” aimed at bringing more transparency to City Hall.

The City Council split the vote into two parts after hearing trade unions and building-industry representatives raise concerns that some portions of the ordinance could hurt development projects.

The vote Monday was 7-0 on one part of the ordinance, calling for increased notice of City Council meetings; for the posting online of information about city-awarded contracts, officials' calendars and various financial statements; and for development of city strategic plans with community input.

The vote was 4-3 on another portion of the ordinance that set requirements for community meetings on certain larger-scale developments. Voting no were Mayor Miguel Pulido and council members Claudia Alvarez and Carlos Bustamante. Voting yes were council members David Benavides, Sal Tinajero, Vincent Sarmiento and Michele Martinez.

Alvarez suggested that the council divide the vote in two. She described the portion of the ordinance dealing with community meetings on developments as “half baked.”

“I think we need to get the input of the development community,” she said.

The measure was pushed by a coalition of residents and community groups known as SACReD, the Santa Ana Collaborative for Responsible Development. The push for the ordinance stems from the group's efforts to obtain public benefits, such as park space and affordable housing, in the Station District. Members packed council chambers, bearing paper cutouts of sunflowers, a symbol of their movement.

As they have for months, a number of representatives of the coalition, including community groups and unions, addressed the council during a public comments portion, urging passage of the measure. They have contended that opening up government more would lead to greater participation, better development projects and provide a way for more citizens to seek solutions to the city's problems.

“Our participation is very important for any project or plan that comes to our city for the betterment of our city,” said Manuela Lopez. “It is us who are being impacted by any change or decision that's made in our community.”

Representatives of the building industry sent letters asking the council to postpone the decision so that they could review the ordinance.

Jim Adams, representing the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents construction unions with more than 140,000 members, spoke against the measure, contending that it creates additional barriers to development.

He said that local unions, including plumbers, cement masons and laborers based in Santa Ana, have been suffering from unemployment of 50 percent or more for more than four years.

“We should be taking down barriers, not creating new ones,” he said. “We need jobs.”

As they discussed the topic, the council, during a meeting that lasted more than five hours, discussed in detail several facets of the proposal.

Benavides said that the council, in discussing the proposal two weeks ago, was careful to avoid creating barriers.

Both Benavides and Tinajero wanted to see developers prepare a document responding to community concerns.

“I don't want to add another burden to the process,” Bustamante said, a concern the mayor shared. Bustamante warned that the city faced losing development to neighboring cities.

Jay Trevino, executive director of the city Planning & Building Agency, urged the council to rely on a system in which the city instead would make public its site plan review letter that would incorporate comments and appropriate conditions of approval, and said the ordinance would add about $1,000 to developers' costs. The ordinance will require applicants to provide the city of minutes of such meetings, with public comment and their response that will be made part of the public record.

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